LACEY LOWDOWN

St Peter’s College looked as if they would cause a major upset when, coming from behind, Jack Donnelly tied proceedings at 82 points apiece with under two minutes to play against St Kentigern.

Donnelly (23 points) and Andrei Manio scored again for St Peter’s but Merrick Rillstone made a crucial bucket and Kazlo Evans held his nerve at the free throw line – St Kent’s escaping with a narrow 92-88 win.

Evans, on his way to a game winning 41 points, made six free throws down the stretch as Russo-Nance less St Kent’s breathed a collective sigh of relief.

St Peter’s 88 – Jack Donnelly 23, Errey 22, David 14, Manio 12

St Kentigern 92 – Evans 41, Rillstone 17, Turner 14, Groves 7

Rangitoto College all but wrapped up the Auckland Secondary Schools Premier League regular season title with a comfortable 97-77 home win against Rosmini College.

Rosmini’s defeat also confirms Westlake, Auckland Grammar and St Kentigern as the other semi-finalists in the upcoming Premier League play-offs.

An 8-0 opening burst from Rangitoto set the tone in a game where the hosts held a comfortable margin throughout.

Ethan Skelton (22 points) and Zach Riley (30 points) were the star turns as Rangi recorded win number 11.

Rosmini trailed 19-11 at quarter time but were undone by a Riley masterclass in the second.

The Sal’s NBL Young Player of the Year knocked down four triples on his way to 17 second quarter points. With Zoran Sladoja landing a corner three on the stroke of half-time Rangi were well placed at 55-30.

Tom Beattie and Matt Drury led the Rosmini resistance in the second half although a serious assault on the Rangi advantage never looked likely.

Rangitoto 97 – Riley 30, Skelton 22, Payne 11, Priest 10, Sladoja 10

Rosmini 77 – Beattie 26, Murphy 13, Drury 10, Anderson 9

A second quarter onslaught by Westlake Boys set up a decisive 94-70 victory at Mt Albert Grammar School, the visitors winning the period 30-15 after edging the first 20-18.

Boston Caldwell and Christian Martin were the chief destroyers for Lake. Caldwell scored 12 of his 27 points (5/9 3PG) in the second, with Martin making 15 of his 26 in the third.

MAGS made a bright start through Morgan Aiono and Aki Luamanuvae-Sua but struggled for parity thereafter.

Westlake travel to Rangitoto College on Monday hoping to avenge a narrow 98-92 loss suffered earlier in the season.

MAGS 70 – Luamanuvae-Sua 15, Coker-Grey 12, Aiono 11, Matakatea 11, Sorensen 8

Westlake 94 – Caldwell 27, Martin 26, Zahran 16, Chang 7, Puriri-Kaitapu

Kelvin Menjah and Rasheed Ieremia were both in double figures but Liston College were overpowered 120-51 by Auckland Grammar School.

In a straight forward victory all the Grammar players scored 6 points or more with Caleb Landon (29 points) and Luka Vea (21 points) leading the charge.

Liston 51– 10, Lao 8, O’Grady 7, Smith 7

AGS 120 – Landon 29, Vea 21, Faulds 17, Caldwell 13, Petzer 11

Boys Premier League Standings with 2 regular season games remaining.

11-1 Rangitoto

9-3 Westlake, AGS, St Kentigern

6-6 Rosmini

3-9 MAGS

1-11 St Peter’s

0-12 Liston

Both the Mt Roskill Girls and Boys teams secured important victories on Friday.

In Round 11 of the Auckland Secondary Schools Girl’s Senior A competition Mount Roskill Girls caused a surprise by beating previously unbeaten St Kentigern College 56-51

St Kent’s led 37-36 at three-quarter time but 7 points from Tikara Jallow, on her way to a game high 20 points, plus triples from Petra Chanchui and Melinda Sauaga tilted a tight game in favour of Mt Roskill.

Mt Roskill 56 – Jallow 20, Eden Ili 13, Indy Chanchui 10

St Kentigern 51 – Maia Bennett 11, Shar Tapling 10, Sophie Jones 7 Emma Halliday 6

Auckland Girls Grammar came away with both points after a 63-49 win at Pukekohe High School – 24 points from Leah Patuwairau the top score.

Pukekohe 57 – Abby Crane 12, Arizona Withers 14, Sylvie Conroy 8, Mo’unga Talakai 8

AGGS 53 – Leah Patuwairua 24, Grady Nikoia 15, Fuschia Traill 10, Mapuna Kohunui 8

Northcote College pushed One Tree Hill College all the way before eventually going down 76-65. One Tree Hill join St Kent’s at the top of the table While Northcote remain firmly in the Top-4 despite the loss.

Northcote 65 – Bri Hadley 22, Liz May 17, Lucy Shepherd 11, Jayd Graham 6

One Tree Hill 76 – Savannah Cook 31, Angelica Vahai 26, Jesse-Lee Upo 7, Jada Tairea 6

The Avondale College v Pakuranga scoresheet hadn’t been sent through at the time of publication.

Senior A Girl’s  Standings

10-1 One Tree Hill, St Kentigern

7-4 Mt Roskill

6-5 Northcote

3-8 Pukekohe, AGGS  

2-8 Pakuranga, Avondale

Boy’s Senior A Results

In the top of the table clash Mt Roskill Grammar took a giant step towards sealing the regular season title with a 64-53 win against nearest rivals Sacred Heart College.

After a tight first half it was a decisive third quarter that separated the teams with Sacred Heart outscored 26-11 in the period.

Race Greig and Kennedy Matenga, with a combined 36 points, secured the win for Roskill.

Mt Roskill 64 – Race Greig 19, Kennedy Matenga 17. John Gill 10, Ngawaka Rakete 5

Sacred Heart 53 – Adam Davies 16, Liston Suasua 9, Preston Tuaputa 8, Josh Tengblad 6, Cassius Reynolds 6 

On the back of 24 points from Slade Bronkhorst-Nalder and 21 from Aaron Sievert, with 7 made threes, Northcote comfortably defeated Macleans College 102-64. The win moves Northcote to equal second on the ladder alongside Sacred Heart.

Northcote 102 – Bronkhorst-Nalder 24, Sievert 21, Tom Bates 17, Tane Cook 11, Tayne Cook 11, Shayan Poorekhorsandi 8, Tzion Manoa 7 

Macleans 64 – Christiam Mutti 18, Benjosh Ananth 12, Justin Kempton 12, Levi Smyth 6

The results of the games between Avondale College and Long Bay College, plus the Aorere v Massey tie are unknown at this stage.

Senior A Boy’s Standings 

10-1 Mt Roskill, 

8-3 Sacred Heart, Northcote 

7-3 Aorere

4-6 Avondale

2-8 Massey

2-9 Macleans

1-9 Long Bay

Baradene College confirmed a semi-final berth in Round 11 of the Auckland Secondary Schools Girl’s Premier League on Friday with an 87-58 win at Rangitoto College.

A couple of baskets from Tamsin McAsey helped Rangitoto keep pace with the visitors in the first quarter.

The trio of Ritorya Tamilo, Lilly Parke and Harriet Burrell scored 6 points apiece in the second quarter as Baradene moved to a 48-29 half-time lead.

Aroha Riley and Kellie Tawhaio scored all of Rangitoto’s 17 points in the third quarter with all but one basket made from beyond the arc.

Baradene didn’t need to fire from three-point land – 10 points in the third from Tamilo extended the visitors lead to almost thirty and win number 10 was in the bag.

Rangitoto 58 – Riley 22, Tawhaio 18, Casey Devonshire 6, Nina Nguyen 6

Baradene 87 – Parke 21, Tamilo 20, Summer Faleafa 16, Poppy Cavanagh-Briggs 12, Harriett Burrell 8

Mt Albert Grammar put together a strong second half display to record a 79-51 road win at Carmel College.

It was 13 points each after the first period and still even at 22 apiece four minutes into the second.

Hannah Bellett gave Carmel the lead but it was extinguished just prior to the half-time break as captain Tiger-Lily Coker-Lemalie scored six points on the bounce to take MAGS to a 36-32 half-time lead.

Katie Linstrom and Jemma Cammell scored on the resumption before MAGS went on to dominate the remainder of the third. Waimanu Clarken scored some eye catching baskets, Zara Pitovao and Danae Tait pitched in with a couple of buckets apiece, and suddenly MAGS were 59-44 to the good.

Ruby Railton gave the home fans something to cheer in the fourth but Clarken worked her way to a game high 25 points to help seal the win.

Carmel  51 – Cammell 20, Railton 11, Linstrom 7, Imogen O’Rourke 5 

MAGS 79 – Clarken 25, Taya Lewis 14, Coker-Lemalie 14, Tait 12, Jersey Nukunuku 7

Four days earlier Epsom Girls had recorded an 11-point win but on Friday Massey High turned the tables to record a 99-94 away victory in a remarkably high scoring game.

Two players stood out as they amassed a collective 94 points!

Flo Dallow scored 45 points in a losing cause while Allyah Leusogi-Ape amassed 49 points for Massey. 

If spectators thought the first half was high scoring – Massey led 45-34 – carnage followed.

Maya Taingahue scored 14 points in the third period as Massey looked home and hosed with a 72-55 lead at three-quarter time.

The hosts mounted a massive rear-guard effort scoring 39 points in the final 10 minutes as Dallow, Sarah-Joy Aruwa, Maya Fowler and Draun Forbes piled in the points.

With 3:22 to play Epsom had almost erased the 17-point deficit trailing by just 4 points (88-84) and a massive comeback victory looked a possibility.

However Leusogi-Ape was proving almost unstoppable and with Erima Tuita making a couple of crucial scores Massey held on for an important win as they fight for Premier League survival.

Epsom will look to regroup in order to confirm a semi-final berth when the final three rounds of the regular season resume after the school holidays.

Epsom 94 – Dallow 45, Aruwa 25, Draun Forbes 15, Maya Fowler 6

Massey 99 – Leusogi-Ape 49, Maya Taingahue 24, Zhoey Tilby-Woods 12

Girls Premier League Standings

10-0 Westlake

10-1 Baradene

7-3 St Mary’s 

6-5 Epsom

4-7 MAGS 

3-8 Rangitoto

2-9 Massey

1-10 Carmel

The Westlake v St Mary’s fixture will be played after the July school holidays.

Rangitoto College returned to winning ways in Round 11 of the Auckland Secondary Schools Boy’s Premier League competition on Friday night. 

Zach Riley duplicated his recent outstanding NBL form with the Auckland Huskies as Rangitoto College put one hand on the Premier League regular season title with an 82-61 home win against St Kentigern College.

Riley finished with 26 points as Rangi erased the memories of last week’s loss at Auckland Grammar.

After a tight first half, that had the scores level (29-29) at the main break, Rangi broke the game open with a dominant third period.

Riley, Zeke Priest, Zoran Sladoja and Lucas Payne all converted from the land of plenty as Rangi scored plenty – thirty in fact to the visitors 16.

Rangitoto continued to pull away in the fourth despite a late scoring flourish from Kaea Rangihaeta.

Dontae Russo-Nance (24 points) top scored for Str Kent’s against his former school, with George Turner lending good support. However Rangi, with the trio of Riley, Payne and Priest in good form, were too good on the night.

The result means there is a three-way tie in second place on the league table with St Kent’s, Westlake and Auckland Grammar each having an 8-3 record with 3 rounds to play.

Rangitoto 82 – Riley 26, Payne 22, Priest 19, Zoran Sladoja 8

St Kentigern 61 – Russo-Nance 24, Turner 16, Kaea Rangihaeta 12

Rosmini College kept their top-four hopes alive with a solid 92-67 home win against Mt Albert Grammar School

However when Phoenix Sorensen converted a pair of free-throws early in the third quarter to give MAGS a 36-35 lead things were looking promising for the visitors.

Unfortunately for MAGS they found themselves outscored 30-10 in the remaining seven minutes of the third to trail 65-46 at the last break.

Tom Beattie was the chief destroyer, the Rozza guard scoring 18 of his game high 36 points in that third period and with Pita Maxwell-Topia and Jett Marshall joining in the scoring frenzy  the hosts were on a roll.

Victor Keil did his best to change the momentum with 6 quick points at the start of the fourth but triples from Lucas Schnuriger, Kane Murphy, Marshall and Beattie kept MAGS at bay.

Early on Morgan Aiono, Sorensen and Keil were causing Rosmini a few problems in a first half the home side edged 33-27.

Ben Skelton, Kuresa Tapula’aia and Keil combined to give MAGS the lead just after half-time but it was short lived as Beattie and Co bossed proceedings from then on. 

Rosmini 92 – Beattie 36, Maxwell-Topia 14, Marshall 12, Drury 11, Kane Murphy 9

MAGS 67 – Sorensen 14, Keil 14, Aiono 9, Aki Luamanuvae-Su’a 7

Westlake Boys rattled up 38 first quarter points to take control of the home tie with Liston College, eventually winning 124-49.

Eight different scorers contributed to those 38 points – 7 to Boston Caldwell who went on to score a massive 43 points.

Christian Martin helped himself to 8 points in the second spell as Westlake hit the 70 mark by the interval.

Taonaishe Chataira and Rasheed Tahiru each made double figures for Liston on a night when points were hard to come by for the visitors.

Westlake 124 – Caldwell 43, Martin 20, Hamza Zahran 15, Tawhiao Kaitapu 10, Rocco Chang 8, Hadi Alshami 8

Liston 49 – Taonaishe Chataira 15, Rasheed Tahiru 12, Deon Helu 7, Dominic O’Grady 6

In form Auckland Grammar School, with skipper Luka Vea posting 30 points, dominated St Peter’s from the outset to win 112-61.

Vea had 9 points in the opening 25-10 salvo and it was 54-23 by half-time as Josh  Muggleston, Caleb Landon and Cody Brown took over the scoring mantle.

Scott Errey, Jack Donnelly and Dorian Sula made valuable contributions as St Peter’s found scoring a touch easier after the break but the result was never in doubt after the captain’s opening knock.

St Peter’s 61 – Scott Errey 23, Jack Donnelly 16, Dorian Sula 9, Andrei Manio 6

AGS 113 – Vea 30, Muggleston 24, Landon 19, Brown 14, Toby Caldwell 9

Boys Premier League Standings 

10-1 Rangitoto

8-3 Westlake, AGS, St Kentigern

6-5 Rosmini

3-8 MAGS

1-10 St Peter’s

0-11 Liston

St Kentigern College Boys and Epsom Girl’s Grammar both gained important victories in Auckland Secondary School’s Premier League re-arranged games on Monday night.

St Kentigern College (8-2) remain hot on the heels of league leaders Rangitoto College (9-1) after a comfortable 96-81 home win against Rosmini College.

The hosts led 10-9 after 5 minutes but transition baskets from Kaea Rangihaeta and a three from Dontae Russo-Nance had helped stretch the lead to 28-15 five minutes later.

A Kane Murphy triple was a brief highlight in the second period for Rosmini as they found baskets hard to come by.

St Kent’s were having no such trouble as Kazlo Evans, Rangihaeta and Russo-Nance picked holes in the Rosmini defence – St Kent’s ahead 52-30 at the main break.

Rosmini retired to the changing room for a half time “chat” and started the third with renewed vigour as Tom Beattie, on his way to a game high 37 points, and Lucas Schnuriger helped get the deficit into the teens.

Evans countered for St Kent scoring the last five points of the frame to again push the lead out beyond twenty (72-51).

Rosmini gained some joy with full court pressure enabling Pita Maxwell and Beattie to access easy points but George Turner had the last say – a trio of threes from the rangy guard capped off a fine St Kent’s win ahead of a mouth watering clash with Rangitoto College on Friday.

St Kentigern 96 – Evans 26, Russo-Nance 21, Turner 19, Rangihaeta 14, Caleb Mattison 8, Ryan Morrisey 8

Rosmini 81 – Beattie 37, Murphy 12, Maxwell-Topia 12, Schnuriger 9, Matt Drury 8

Boys Premier League Standings 

9-1 Rangitoto

8-2 St Kentigern

7-3 Westlake, AGS

5-5 Rosmini

3-7 MAGS

1-9 St Peter’s

0-10 Liston

Epsom Girls took a step closer to a semi-final berth after a hard fought 78-67 win at Massey High School on Monday.

Massey enjoyed the better of the opening exchange dropping 21 first quarter points as Maya Taingahue and Allyah Leusogi-Ape cut lose.

Facing a 4-point deficit Epsom got going in the second with Flo Dallow and Sarah Joy Aruwa moving through the gears – the visitors ahead by two at half-time (37-35).

The third quarter proved decisive as Massey were held to just 9 points while 8 apiece from Dallow and Aruwa meant Epsom held a 57-44 lead with ten minutes to play.

Zhoey Tilby-Woods and Taingahue re-started the Massey scoring machine in the fourth but triples from Maya Fowler, Draun Forbes and Dallow put the seal on an Epsom victory.

Perhaps the highlight of the game came in the final second as Leusogi-Ape scored from just beyond half-way!

The two teams meet again on Friday in a Round 11 clash with Epsom the hosts.

Massey 67 – Taingahue 25, Leusogi-Ape 19, Tilby-Woods 16, Tahlya Waikiki 4

Epsom 78 – Dallow 35, Aruwa 31, Fowler 7, Forbes 5

Girls Premier League Standings 

10-0 Westlake

9-1 Baradene

7-3 St Mary’s 

6-4 Epsom

3-7 MAGS, Rangitoto

1-9 Massey, Carmel

In the latest round of Auckland Secondary Schools Girl’s Senior A action the top-4 teams all beat lower ranked sides.

Mount Roskill Grammar scored a 63-53 come from behind win against Auckland Girls Grammar.

A dozen early points from Leah Patuwairua took AGGS to a 20-17 quarter time lead which was extended marginally to 34-29 at the break with Grady Nikoia adding useful points.

The complexion of the game changed in the second half as Tikara Jallow and Eden Ili dominated proceedings. The pair shared 28 points after the break to help Mt Roskill to a valuable win and a place firmly in the Senior A Top-4.

AGGS 53 – Leah Patuwairua 31, Grady Nikoia 10, Fuschia Traill 7

Mt Roskill 63 – Tikara Jallow 20, Eden Ili 19, Indy Chanchui 10, Petra Chanchui 6, Thalie Fagan 6

St Kentigern 93 – Maia Bennett 18, Verity Ward 14, Ash Tuumaialu 12, Shar Tapling 11, Emma Halliday 10, Sophie Jones 8

Avondale 40 – Mercy Lemisio 27

Northcote College scored just two points in the final quarter but hung on for a one-point win at Pakuranga College.

Pakuranga 51 – Jordan Koteka 16, Izzy Reeve 9, Broque Steyn 8, Eden Vaka 5

Northcote 52 – Bri Hadley 20, Liz May 19, Lisa Gear 5

Savannah Cook’s rich points scoring form continued as One Tree Hill eventually overcame Pukekohe High 74-57. 

Pukekohe put up their lowest 3-point shooting numbers of the season but stayed in the contest with second chance points and some crucial mid-range shots.

Abby Crane finished with a team high 20 points for Pukekohe but it was Cook’s 42 points that was the difference.

One Tree Hill 74 – Savannah Cook 42, Jada Tairea 7, Jesse-Lee Upo 7, Angelica Vahai 6

Pukekohe 57 – Abby Crane 20, Arizona Withers 11, Sylvie Conroy 10, Mereana Williams 10

Earlier in the week AGGS beat Pukekohe 90-45 in a make-up game with Leah Patuwairua (41 points) and Mapuna Kohuni (24 points) shining for AGGS

Senior A Girl’s  Standings

10-0 St Kentigern 

9-1 One Tree Hill

6-4 Northcote, Mt Roskill

3-7 Pukekohe 

2-8 Pakuranga, Avondale, AGGS

Boy’s Senior A Results

In Boy’s Senior A action Sacred Heart College returned to winning ways with a 90-68 home win against Avondale College. Josh Stewart led the way for Heart scoring 28 points.

Elsewhere Northcote College and Aorere College virtually sealed semi-final places with wins at Long Bay College and Macleans College respectively.

Sacred Heart 90 – Josh Stewart 28, Adam Davies 18,Josh Tengblad 15, Muli Ma’asi 12, Tyler Wilson-Voyce 8

Avondale 68 – Jimi Iosia-Sipeli 21, Connor Gleeson 16, Kabir Bhargava 10, Andrew Murphy 9

Long Bay 79 – George De Felice 17, Nouh Taher 12, Elyas Taher 11, Tim Stumble 8

Northcote 100 – Slade Bronkhorst-Nalder 24, Aaron Sievert 22, Shayan Poorekhorsandi 17, Dontaye Sowman-Faaee 19 

Macleans 64 – Oliver Simpson 27, Levi Smyth 9, Benjosh Ananth 9, Aarya Thakkar 7

Aorere 76 – Feloni Ngata 19, Mathieu Lilo-Drollet 16, Franklyne Gordon 15, Devean Danielson 15

The result of the Massey High v Mt Roskill Grammar fixture was unknown at the time of publication. 

Senior A Boy’s Standings 

8-1 Mt Roskill, 

8-2 Sacred Heart 

7-3 Northcote, Aorere

4-6 Avondale

2-7 Massey

2-8 Macleans

1-9 Long Bay

There may still be four rounds to play of the Girl’s Auckland Secondary Schools Premier League but barring upsets the top-four teams look to have secured semi-final berths.

Westlake Girls High remain unbeaten but they were given a stern workout by Epsom Girls Grammar before closing out a 70-60 win.

It was all Lake in the early stages as they established a 25-10 lead.

Good to see Izzy Pugh back in scoring mode, the Westlake forward mustering 12 points by the interval and with Shonnie Leiatua scoring all her 8 points in the half the hosts were up 40-26.

Epsom replied strongly in the third as Flo Dallow, Sarah Joy Aruwa, Lizzy Brocklehurst and Maya Fowler all landed from deep to keep Westlake in sight. 57-49 to Lake with ten minutes to play.

Scoring became an issue for both teams in the fourth but another 6 points from Pugh and a trey from Makenzee Boucher saw Westlake across the line.

Westlake 70 – Pugh 22, Boucher 13, Simone Barnard 11, Leiatua 8

Epsom 60 – Dallow 21, Aruwa 18, Fowler 7, Lauryn Hunt 7

The closest game of the round was at St Mary’s College where the hosts came from behind to defeat Mt Albert Grammar 59-45.

The two teams split 26 points in the opening ten minutes but it was MAGS that held the lead (42-35) at half-time as Tiger-Lily Cocker-Lemalie and Waimanu Clarken amassed a combined 29 points.

Danika Manase scored all her 11 points in the third quarter and with Faith Ualika chipping in with 6 fortunes had changed and St Mary’s were 42-35 to the good.

Having kept MAGS to just 7 points in the third St Mary’s only gave up a further 10 in the fourth as the defensive clamps were kept firmly in place.

Nine fourth quarter points from Kodee Sefo ensured a St Mary’s victory – their seventh of the season ahead of a clash with Westlake next Friday.

St Mary’s 59 – Sefo 13, Ualika 11, Manase 11, Trinity Atiga 8

MAGS 45 – Cocker-Lemalie 20, Clarken 17

Baradene College remain hot on the heels of Westlake after registering a straight forward 88-32 home win against Carmel College.

Deyna Topia and Lilly Parke were both close to double figures in the first as the hosts charged to a 27-4 lead.

Jemma Cammell did her best to stem the Baradene points flow but it was to little avail as the hosts had doubled their tally by half-time (54-16).

Baradene had five players in double figures as they registered win number nine of the season.

Baradene 88 – Parke 32, Ritorya Tamilo 14, Topia 11, Poppy Cavannagh-Briggs11, Harriett Burrell 10

Carmel 32 – Cammell 17, Katie Linstrom 4

Rangitoto College secured a valuable away win defeating Massey High School 87-58 with Aroha Riley and Kellie Tawhaio the chief destroyers.

Tawhaio posted a double-double of 27 points and 10 rebounds while Riley added 6 steals to a game high 32 points, making 6 from 13 from beyond the three-point arc.

Rangitoto scored 29 points in each of the first two periods to lead 58-32 at half-time extending their advantage to 74-41 at three-quarter time.

It’s a quick turnaround for Massey as they are back in action on Monday against Epsom.

Massey 58

Rangitoto 87 – Riley 32, Tawhaio 27, Tamsin McAsey 12, Zaara Sain 8

Premier League Standings  

10-0 Westlake

9-1 Baradene

7-3 St Mary’s

6-3 Epsom

3-7 MAGS, Rangitoto

1-8 Massey

1-9 Carmel

*Massey v Epsom scheduled for July 5

In Round 10 action in the Auckland Secondary Schools Premier League the Rangitoto College winning start to the season has ended at nine after they were beaten 80-54 at Auckland Grammar.

Yes that’s the correct score line – a 26-point whacking!

Yes Rangitoto were without Zach Riley away on Auckland Huskies duty, yes they had a poor shooting night and yes they had an uncharacteristic high number of turnovers but Auckland Grammar were impressive.

They dominated the boards (Will Shortt and Caleb Landon were outstanding in that department), shot the three-ball at a good clip and out-worked the opposition – on this form they are a genuine title contender.

Ethan Skelton scored 8 points in the opening spell but Jamal Todd and Landon had half a dozen apiece as AGS forged a 30-16 lead.

Josh Muggleston’s 7 points in an attritional second quarter represented over a third of the points scored in the frame – AGS ahead 42-24 at the main break.

Kaia Dryden, Mike Ropotini and Lucas Payne led a Rangi mini revival in the third but that was stopped in it’s track by Todd, Muggleston and Cody Brown as they knocked down four straight threes to propel Grammar to a 59-38 three-quarter time lead. 

Jacob Fotu scored consecutive interior baskets early in the fourth but Landon’s 10 points in the stanza capped a fine individual effort.

Liam Ward entered the court, in the closing minutes, to the delight of the home support and the rangy forward drew the biggest cheer of the night as his deft finish capped a comprehensive victory.

AGS 80 – Muggleston 18, Landon 16, Brown 12, Todd 10
Rangitoto 54 – Skelton 15, Payne 11, Priest 9, Fotu 7

Mount Albert Grammar posted 28 points in the opening period and with Liston College replying with just four the contest was almost settled after ten minutes.

It certainly was by half-time with the scoreline 51-15 in favour of the visitors.

Taonaishe Chataira and Rasheed Tahiru scored a dozen points apiece for Liston but Louis Uri and Victor Keil led the MAGS charge to their third win of the season.

Liston 36 – Chataira 12, Tahiru 12, Dhon Lao 4

MAGS 87 – Louis Uri 17, Victor Keil 17, Aki Luamanuvae-Su’a 14, Morgan Aiono 13

Despite a combined 52 points from Jack Donnelly and Scott Errey St Peter’s College were no match for Westlake Boys going down 112-65 on the Shore.

Christian Martin and Malachi Book were quickly into their work as Westlake raced to a 32-19 first quarter lead.

Daniel Ottenhoff knocked down a three in the shadows of half-time to extend the hosts advantage to 54-30.

Donnelly and Errey continued to clock up the points but Westlake, with Boston Caldwell, Martin and Hamza Zahran particularly prominent, had all the answers.

Westlake 112 – Martin 23, Caldwell 22, Hamza Zahran 16, Ottenhoff 10, Book 10

St Peter’s 65 – Donnelly 30, Scott Errey 22

Premier League Standings 

• Rangitoto

7-2 St Kentigern

7-3 Westlake, AGS

5-4 Rosmini

3-7 MAGS

1-9 St Peter’s

0-10 Liston

With coaching staff from both teams (plus Dontae Russo-Nance) away on Auckland Huskies duty the St Kentigern College versus Rosmini College tie will be played on Monday July 5.